Reports: Salesforce to Acquire Buddy Media for More Than $800 Million: In a deal said to be worth over $800 million, CRM provider and cloud computing company Salesforce will purchase social media software provider Buddy Media. Buddy Media is used throughout the magazine industry, with major players such as Rodale and Hearst signed on to its services. Prevention tapped Buddy to add sweepstakes and newsletter registration to its Facebook page, while Hearst partnered with the company to produce branded social media applications (“sapplets”) for several of its titles.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Marubeni to Buy Gavilon for $3.6 Billion
http://www.marubeni.com/news/2012/120529e.html
Marubeni
Corp. said Tuesday it will buy Gavilon Group LLC, the U.S.'s third-biggest
grain handler, for $3.6 billion excluding debt, in a deal that will make it one
of the world's largest grain traders.
Marubeni previously reported Q4 2011 results; the consolidated net income Apr.2011-Mar. 2012
was at a historical high, up 26% from the same period last year. Revenue rose 19%.
Marubeni previously reported Q4 2011 results; the consolidated net income Apr.2011-Mar. 2012
was at a historical high, up 26% from the same period last year. Revenue rose 19%.
EURO-GRAPH Reports April Shipments
As reported by EURO-GRAPH, European shipments of coated mechanical paper in April fell -8.3% as compared to the same month last year. Demand declined -9.7% and exports were down -3.1%. Shipments for coated woodfree paper fell -2.4%, demand rose +0.5% and exports decreased -10.3%. Shipments of Supercalendered paper fell -7.5%, demand declined -2.5% and exports were down -27.4%.
UPM Sells Albbruck Mill
UPM SELLS CLOSED ALBBRUCK PAPER MILL TO KARL UNTERNEHMENSGRUPPE, GERMANY: UPM and Karl Unternehmensgruppe, Innernzell, Germany have reached an agreement on the sale of the Papierfabrik Albbruck GmbH. The closing of the deal is planned to be effective by the beginning of August 2012. The contract parties have agreed not to disclose the value of the transaction.
Fire at Verso's Sartell Mill
Firefighters make their way across the scene Monday to fight a fire at the Verso Paper plant in Sartell. / Kimm Anderson, kanderson@stcloudtimes.com
Sartell police and fire officials received a
call at 11:21 a.m. reporting an explosion at the mill, according to Sartell
City Administrator Patti Gartland. By 11:42 a.m. heavy black smoke was pouring
out of the center part of the mill and flames were visible on the roof.
Port Hawkesbury Backup Plan Negotiated
A
backup plan to sell off the assets of NewPage Port Hawkesbury is being
negotiated in case the going-concern sale to Pacific West Commercial Corp.
falls through, according to a new report by the monitor handling the sale. But people with a stake in seeing the mill
eventually reopen shouldn’t be alarmed, Mathew Harris of Ernst & Young said
Monday, as it was part of the plan all along and the current sales process is
“well on its way” to being successfully completed.
New ISO Standards for Packaging
New ISO world standards on packaging and environment
Thursday May 24th, 2012 marks the beginning of a new era in global manufacturing and distribution, where the environmental aspects of packaging throughout the supply and recycle chain will already be taken into account in the packaging design process.
Thursday May 24th, 2012 marks the beginning of a new era in global manufacturing and distribution, where the environmental aspects of packaging throughout the supply and recycle chain will already be taken into account in the packaging design process.
Coupons Valuable, Even When Not Redeemed
Coupons Work --Even When They're Not Used: Data analysis of a 16-month field experiment finds that coupons -- whether used or not -- still increase awareness purchasing of a brand or retailer. The professors found that consumers who got the coupons but didn’t use them still “typically increased their purchases in the associated stores.” In fact, these consumers accounted for 60% of the coupons’ “sales lift” — the additional amount spent on both promoted and unpromoted items. Data analysis found that coupons — whether used or not — still increase awareness purchasing of a brand or retailer.
Direct Marketers Report Modest Growth in Q1
Digital
and direct marketing performance grew modestly during the first quarter, with
improvements in revenue and campaign profitability, according to a report from
the Direct Marketing Association.
California Senate Passes Textbook Bill
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_20711652/bill-would-require-digital-textbooks-california
A bill that would
require textbook publishers to make the same content available to California
school districts in digital format has passed unanimously in the state Senate.
Cabela's New Avenues for Customer Engagement
http://www.retailonlineintegration.com/article/cabela-s-leverages-social-promotion-drive-customer-engagement-418921/1
Cabela's, a cross-channel retailer of hunting, fishing and outdoor gear, launched a Facebook promotion in March around its TV show "Ultimate Adventures" and its Outdoor Adventures travel program. The promotion was designed to drive customer engagement.
Magazine Publishers; Print Still Important
Although magazine publishers have embraced
mobile platforms, the web is still not all that
important, executives at Conde Nast and Meredith Corp. indicated on stage at a paidContent conference.
Instead, both publishers showed a desire to
adhere to legacy business models, i.e. packaging content in print (and
print-like) monthly editions supported largely by advertising, and supplemented
by low-cost monthly subscriptions and single-copy newsstand sales.
“We see websites as gateway into the brand,”
said Bob Sauberg, president of Conde Nast.
“Consumers still prefer print, so we aim for
print-like digital products.”
Popular Science Offers Bridge Between Print & Digital
Popular Science Enlists Augmented Reality To Bridge Printed Page, Digital World:
Augmented reality makes printed pages interactive
The latest issue of Popular Science harnesses augmented reality to integrate the printed page with the digital world with the assistance of a new mobile app.
Augmented reality makes printed pages interactive
The latest issue of Popular Science harnesses augmented reality to integrate the printed page with the digital world with the assistance of a new mobile app.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Takes Steps to Reorganize
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt moves to reorganize after bankruptcy: In its original bankruptcy filing the Boston publisher listed $2.68bn in assets and $3.53bn in debt. Among its leading unsecured creditors are Chicago-based RR Donnelley and Williams Lea, who are each owed more than $20m.
Containerboard as Advertising Vehicle
White is the new brown in corrugated: Transformed from being purely a transit pack material, containerboard is making big steps forward in being able to reinforce a brand's position in the marketplace. The cause of this transition is the growth of white liners - mainly driven from the growing trend for high impact corrugated packaging in the retail ready or shelf ready market areas
Friday, May 25, 2012
April Recovered Paper Consumption Declines
US recovered paper consumption decreased in April
According to the American Forest & Paper Association's April 2012 U.S. Recovered Fiber Monthly Report, total U.S. industry consumption of recovered paper in April was 2.48 million tons, 4% lower than March 2012. Year-to-date consumption in 2012 is 3% lower than during the same period last year.
U.S. exports of recovered paper increased 7% in March compared to February, with increases mainly seen in Mixed and Corrugated. Year-to-date exports of recovered paper in 2012 are 3% higher than during the same period in 2011.
According to the American Forest & Paper Association's April 2012 U.S. Recovered Fiber Monthly Report, total U.S. industry consumption of recovered paper in April was 2.48 million tons, 4% lower than March 2012. Year-to-date consumption in 2012 is 3% lower than during the same period last year.
U.S. exports of recovered paper increased 7% in March compared to February, with increases mainly seen in Mixed and Corrugated. Year-to-date exports of recovered paper in 2012 are 3% higher than during the same period in 2011.
Facebook Ads Rarely Viewed
83% Rarely or Never Click on Facebook Ads: An AP-CNBC poll finds 83% of U.S. adult Facebook users hardly ever or never click on online ads or sponsored content when using Facebook.
Source Interlink Finds New Ways to Relaunch Hot Rod
Source Interlink Uses Face-to-Face Events to Promote Hot Rod Re-Launch: Hot Rod magazine will not only be transformed for its re-launch across print, online and social mediums —its publisher, Source Interlink, plans to also take the brand straight to consumers as part of a seven-city U.S. tour to promote the new identity of Hot Rod magazine.
USPS Announces Closure Plans
The USPS plans to close 140 processing facilities
over the next few years. The first phase will begin in the period of July to
August 2012, and will involve 48 facilities. The USPS plans to halt any
facility closures during the busy mailing season of September through December
2012. The consolidations will resume in January 2013 for an additional 92
locations. The second phase of the project will take place in January 2014 for
an additional 89 facilities, unless circumstances change in the interim.
Inkjet Printing to Double by 2017
http://www.smitherspira.com/inkjet-printing-market-is-forecast-to-reach-67-3-billion-by-2017.aspx
The inkjet printing market is valued at $33.4 billion in 2011 and
forecast to grow to $67.3 billion in 2017, according to Smithers Pira,
the worldwide authority on the packaging, print and paper supply chains. According to their new study, The Future of Inkjet Printing to 2017: Global Market Forecasts, inkjet is growing because it provides significant advantages across many supply chains
NAA Asks PRC to Reject USPS/Valassis Deal
NAA Calls for Rejection of the Proposed ‘Sweetheart Deal’ the USPS Offered Valassis: The Newspaper Association of America called for the U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission to reject a proposed negotiated services agreement (NSA) between the U.S. Postal Service and direct-mail giant Valassis, saying this special rate proposal will cause significant financial harm to newspapers throughout the country, and will not improve the financial condition of the nation’s postal system.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Retail Catalogs Survive; and Thrive
Online
spending may be increasing, but the venerable catalog is doing anything but
fading away. In fact, it is still an important part of business for retailers.
“It’s
basically a marketing tool,” said retail analyst Eric Beder, a managing
director at Brean Murray, Carret & Co. “The beauty of a catalog is that you
don’t have to go online to see it, so you can use it anywhere.”
More
than 12.5 billion catalogs were mailed out to homes in the U.S. last year,
according to the Direct Marketing
Association, the largest global association for the
marketing community. And there are still those who use the catalog for
what it was originally intended for: More than 89.6 million Americans bought an
item from a catalog last year.
A
couple of years ago, some retailers decided to cut back on publishing catalogs
in order to save money. That move proved to be a hard lesson in the power of
the catalog, said Ken Ebeling, senior vice president of membership at the
Direct Marketing Association.
“Sales
plummeted,” he said. “They realized if they don’t keep their catalogs out
there, their e-commerce will decline.”
In
fact, some businesses that have never published catalogs before have decided
now they want in.
Catalyst Paper Plan Not Approved
Catalyst Paper restructuring plan not approved by creditors: Catalyst Paper Corporation announced that the company did not receive the necessary creditor approval for its amended plan of arrangement under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act.
Hearst and Meebo Announce Partnership
Hearst and Meebo Establish Digital Partnership: The consumer Internet company Meebo, producers of The Meebo Bar, is partnering with Hearst Digital Media. The Meebo Bar will be rolled out across 13 of Hearst’s digital brands in June, and participating brands include: Cosmopolitan, Country Living, ELLE Décor, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, House Beautiful, Popular Mechanics, REDBOOK, Seventeen, Veranda, MisQuincemag.com, TheDailyGreen.com and Woman’s Day.
Condé Nast Launches New Title
http://www.adweek.com/print/140739
Fairchild Fashion Media, the Condé Nast division responsible for publishing Women’s Wear Daily, is relaunching men’s fashion title M as a quarterly magazine beginning this fall. The original M, which launched in 1983, was helmed by Jane Lane and, later, by onetime Adweek editor Clay Felker. M shuttered in 1992, a casualty of the recession at the time.
Fairchild Fashion Media, the Condé Nast division responsible for publishing Women’s Wear Daily, is relaunching men’s fashion title M as a quarterly magazine beginning this fall. The original M, which launched in 1983, was helmed by Jane Lane and, later, by onetime Adweek editor Clay Felker. M shuttered in 1992, a casualty of the recession at the time.
People on the Move
People on the Move | 5.24.12: Martha Stewart will now serve as non-executive chairman of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and other changes in publishing industry jobs.
Unknowns of App Advertising
The State of App Advertising: In the heyday of print advertising, the rules seemed simpler. Competition from television, radio, and other forms advertising was a factor, but each medium was distinct—with its own attributes, value propositions, and measurements. The Web changed all that. Along with the suicidal dilemma of free editorial content, the Web brought in a whole new (and volatile) system of measuring success.
NRF Annouces Tax Campaign
NRF
launched a 60-day effort to convince Congress to take action on what they call sales tax fairness; "
As
retailers are all-too-well aware, online merchants are not required to collect
sales tax on the majority of their sales..."
HP Annouces Job Cuts, Q2 Results
HP to Cut 27,000 Jobs: HP today outlined plans for a multi-year productivity initiative designed to simplify business processes, advance innovation and deliver better results for customers, employees and shareholders.The restructuring is expected to generate annualized savings in the range of $3.0 to $3.5 billion exiting fiscal year 2014, of which the majority will be reinvested back into the company.
HP today announced financial results for its second fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2012. For the quarter, net revenue of $30.7 billion was down 3% year over year both as reported and when adjusted for the effects of currency.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
AbitibiBowater Makes Name Change Official
Resolute Forest Products is AbitibiBowater’s new official name:
At AbitibiBowater‘s annual general meeting today, stockholders have approved renaming the company to “Resolute Forest Products” effective tomorrow – May 24, 2012.
At AbitibiBowater‘s annual general meeting today, stockholders have approved renaming the company to “Resolute Forest Products” effective tomorrow – May 24, 2012.
As part of this change, stockholders also agreed to change the company’s common stock ticker symbol from ABH to RFP on both the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange, also effective May 24, 2012.
Resolute Seeks Repurchase of 10% of Shares
Resolute Forest Products wants to repurchase shares:
AbitibiBowater Inc., doing business as Resolute Forest Products, has announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of up to 10% of the company’s common stock for an aggregate purchase price of up to US$100 million. The repurchase program will be funded using the company’s available cash.
AbitibiBowater Inc., doing business as Resolute Forest Products, has announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of up to 10% of the company’s common stock for an aggregate purchase price of up to US$100 million. The repurchase program will be funded using the company’s available cash.
Catalyst Paper Meeting with Creditors
Catalyst Paper creditors meeting today:
The meeting of Catalyst Paper‘s secured and unsecured creditors is being held this morning in Vancouver. The creditors will be discussing Catalyst Paper’s proposed Plan of Arrangement under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act.
The meeting of Catalyst Paper‘s secured and unsecured creditors is being held this morning in Vancouver. The creditors will be discussing Catalyst Paper’s proposed Plan of Arrangement under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act.
Newsprint Ships Up; More Closures Expected
North
American newsprint shipments in April were 1.7% higher than a year ago, which
trimmed the average decline in volumes in the first four months of the year to
1.3%, according to the Pulp and Paper Products Council (PPPC). Mill operating
rates averaged 91% compared with 93% in April 2011.
RISI today
announced a high risk of closure for over 7 million
total tonnes of global newsprint capacityover the next 5 years; 2 million tonnes in North America alone.
New Measuring Tools for Publishers
The magazine industry now has more avenues
when it comes to quantifying its total reach—both the Audit Bureau of Circulations, and media
research company GfK MRI, have
introduced new tools for publishers that can help provide a clearer picture of
who readers are, and how many of them exist.
Facebook Not to Issue Paper Certificates
Facebook
investors hoping for a tangible marker of their ownership stake are out of
luck. The company won't be offering paper stock certificates, despite earlier
indications that it planned to make them available.
LA Looks at Plastic Bag Ban
http://www.scpr.org/news/2012/05/22/32525/la-bag-ban-big-whale-environmental-groups-plastics/
Of the 75 communities across the country that
have prohibited plastic bags, two-thirds of them are in California. Los Angeles might be next; this week, its city council could
push a ban on single-use bags forward.
For Gov. & Barnes & Noble; New Venture
GPO / Barnes & Noble to Sell Federal eBooks: Government Printing Office (GPO) has signed an agreement with Barnes & Noble to sell Federal eBooks.
2012 Print Forum; Focus on ROI
Integrated Print Forum to Help Printers Increase Their New Media ROI: Printers of the 21st century recognize that expanding service offerings to new communication media and becoming an integrated print provider for customers is the future of print. The 2012 Integrated Print Forum will provide insights on how to effectively integrate print into the marketing mix and increase printers’ ROI.
Commerce Dept. Revises Commercial Print Ships Data
Commerce Department Revises Years of US Commercial Printing Shipments Data; Downward Revisions from 2009 Through 2012 (Economics & Research Center):
On Friday, May 18, the Commerce Department issued its annual revisions to manufacturer shipments. The revisions reached back all the way to 2001, with minor revisions to seasonality and little change to annual shipments. Starting with 2009, however, there were significant downward revisions.
On Friday, May 18, the Commerce Department issued its annual revisions to manufacturer shipments. The revisions reached back all the way to 2001, with minor revisions to seasonality and little change to annual shipments. Starting with 2009, however, there were significant downward revisions.
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